§ 39. Mr. Orbachasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when it is proposed to hand over to the Anglo-Egyptian Aid Society the remaining £70,000 promised by Her Majesty's Government to the Society for its work in aiding British nationals expelled from Egypt.
§ Mr. R. A. Butlerit has been agreed with the Anglo-Egyptian Society that, in addition to the £30,000 already paid to it, a further sum of £50,000 should be paid to it in respect of the work which it has done, before the establishment of the Anglo-Egyptian Resettlement Board. It is proposed to submit to Parliament a Supplementary Estimate to authorise the payment of this sum of £50,000 to the Society.
§ Mr. OrbachIs the Home Secretary not aware that the Society has presented an account for £77,000, and did so in February of this year, before the date when I raised this issue, in a debate which I initiated, when his Parliamentary Secretary replied that there was no such demand made by it? Will he pay the £77,000, as he undertook to do in the first place?
§ Mr. ButlerNo; I am informed that this agreement was made by agreement with the Society. It will bring the final payment of Government moneys to £80,000. That means that the Society will have spent only £30,000 out of its own resources on this operation, and will be left with some £60,000, out of £90,000 raised by public subscription as a result of an appeal. The Society has done extremely well; there are some minor disputes on minor bills outstanding with it, which we shall do our best to settle. I am satisfied that we have done the right thing by the Society, and that it has done its duty.